Durham elementary schools ranked in 2013 Fraser Report

Report releases results for schools across Ontario

Dr SJ Phillips

The highest-ranked school in Durham was Dr. S.J. Phillips in Oshawa with a rating of 8.9 out of 10, and a rank of 88 in the province, and the lowest was Gertrude Colpus, also in Oshawa, with .7 and a provincial rank of 2,699. Last year, the highest-rated school in Durham was Colonel J.E. Farewell in Whitby (8.6) while Gertrude Colpus (.7), Village Union in Oshawa (.8) and Glen Street in Oshawa (.9) ranked near the bottom.

DURHAM -- A total of 167 elementary schools across Ontario showed significant improvement in their academic performance over the past five years, according to the Fraser Institute's annual school rankings.

Of these improving elementary schools, 64 are in the GTA, 44 in southwestern Ontario, 36 in north central Ontario, and 23 in eastern Ontario.

"Our report shows that all schools are capable of improvement, regardless of the personal or family challenges their students might face," says Peter Cowley, Fraser Institute director of school performance studies.

"If educators want to help students learn and improve, they should be talking to these schools."

If educators want to help students learn and impro

The highest-ranked school in Durham was Dr. S.J. Phillips in Oshawa with a rating of 8.9 out of 10, and a rank of 88 in the province, and the lowest was Gertrude Colpus, also in Oshawa, with .7 and a provincial rank of 2,699. Last year, the highest-rated school in Durham was Colonel J.E. Farewell in Whitby (8.6) while Gertrude Colpus (.7), Village Union in Oshawa (.8) and Glen Street in Oshawa (.9) ranked near the bottom.

"We're pleased that our schools are making gains," said Durham District School Board superintendent Luigia Ayotte. "But happy would be that everyone is at the top."

She said the Fraser rankings are just one of the data the board uses to improve student success, along with other measures such as report cards and provincial testing results.

"We want all of our students to be successful and we have to continue to stay the course," she said. "We have to address issues as they arise and provide support at the school level."

She said the board has already started doing some preliminary work with the results, gauging the areas in which certain schools need to make improvements.

The school board looks
at the ranking report, but Diane Lloyd, chairwoman of the Kawartha Pine
Ridge District School Board, said she doesn't agree with ranking
schools.

"I think it is demoralizing to the students and staff," said Ms. Lloyd. "I think all our teachers are doing a great job."

The results can be skewed -- particularly in smaller schools, she said.
Ms. Lloyd would not comment on the individual results of any school.

Every child has the opportunity to be the best they can be in any
school in Northumberland, she added, saying the board is always working
to bring the highest standard to schools.

The Report Card for the 2011-12 year rates 2,714 public, Catholic and francophone elementary schools based on nine academic indicators using data from the annual province-wide tests of reading, writing and math administered by the Ontario government's Education Quality and Accountability Office.

"By pinpointing the subject areas in which individual schools are improving or declining and how their academic performance compares to that of other Ontario schools over the past five years, our report helps parents and educators prioritize learning challenges in their schools," says Mr. Cowley.

The report card also includes important information about each school's makeup, including parents' average income, the percentage of ESL students, and the percentage of special needs students.

Complete results for all 2,714 elementary schools are available at www.compareschoolrankings.org where visitors can compare schools on their results over the last five years.